All Blacks coach Graham Henry says there are now so many talented Kiwis playing abroad it justifies a trip to Europe so he can meet and greet the likes of Sonny Bill Williams. The idea is just that, an idea, and doesn't herald a shift in thinking about the status of our foreign rugby legion who are ineligible for All Blacks selection. But Henry says touching base with Williams and others, as he rebuilds his squad for the next Rugby World Cup, is on the agenda. "There are enough people up there to get a handle on it if we need to," said Henry. "But certainly one of the All Blacks' selectors could go over there and view a number of players and that's always on the cards." Henry added it would allow them to assess first hand Dan Carter's form while he's on sabbatical in Perpignan. It would also help build bridges with the likes of Sale's Luke McAlister, who has expressed an interest in playing for the All Blacks again.
But the biggest benefit may be a chance to speak with Williams. Other than "watching him play a bit of league on a Friday night occasionally for a bit of relaxation" Henry said he'd not yet seen Williams play rugby union nor sought to make contact. When he eventually does his first impression will be more critical to his success than many appreciate. Henry plays a pivotal role in deciding which players the NZRU offer contracts to.
Former Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie has monitored Williams's switch to union and believes the 23-year-old can fulfil his dream of becoming an All Black, especially under the tutelage of Tana Umaga and by playing alongside Kiwi back-rower Jerry Collins.
"He is a Samoan who wants to play for the All Blacks. He is 'un cadeau' [a gift] for the All Blacks with 2011 [and the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand]," said McKenzie, who believes Williams will eventually graduate from the centres to become a blindside flanker. Henry was not as effusive but he confirmed Williams is in his crosshairs. "Certainly, if he's good enough, the NZRU would be silly not to be [interested in him].
"There will be enough scouts over there to have a hell of a good look at him. "We have to make sure he's up to standard. He has a two-year contract up there at Toulon and if he's up to standard then the NZRU will offer him a contract which is going to be attractive enough to bring him home because he can't play for the All Blacks unless he's playing in New Zealand." The NZRU's All Blacks' eligibility criteria has generated much discussion over the past year with an increasing number of players, commentators and fans now resigned to the inevitable: that the policy will have to change unless there's a dramatic reversal in the flood of players heading offshore. England offered up some hope this week when they announced a new plan to subsidise clubs who opt for homegrown talent ahead of overseas imports. Henry is a supporter, in public at least, of the NZRU's policy. But he also agreed Williams was a special case."So it's over to us to make sure we do the right steps correctly, make sure he's good enough to be considered an All Black.
"People will have to watch him play and make that assessment and if that assessment is positive he needs to play in this country and prove himself."
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